Flashbacks and Nightmares
by lunann88
Summary: The Doctor tries to help Clara recover from the events of Trenzalore. My FIRST story. Spoilers for TNotD. I don't own Doctor Who.


"DOCTOR!" The Doctor's head perked up from under the console. Swiping his sonic screwdriver he zoomed past the console room and into the endless hallways of the TARDIS. He looked around the hallways frantically before hearing another desperate "DOCTOR!" cry out five doors to his right. He bursts through the bedroom door, sonic screwdriver primed to protect Clara from any intruders.

Instead of an intruder the Doctor witnessed bedcovers on the floor and Clara squirming frantically on her bed. She was clutching her fists so tightly her fingernails were beginning to draw blood from her palms. The Doctor rushed to Clara's side in an instant, scooping Clara's flailing limbs into his arms.

"Clara." the Doctor whispered gently into her ear as his hand began to stroke Clara's hair. Clara's squirming lessen. "Shh, it's okay, Clara. You're safe."

"Got to save the Doctor. Got to save the Doctor." Clara murmured in her sleep. "Got to…"

The Doctor shifted himself closer to Clara so her head was resting closer to his chest. Clara nestled her head under the Doctor's chin.

"No more running, my Impossible Girl." the Doctor muttered, continuing to stroke Clara's hair. "We're safe now. You don't have to save me anymore, Clara. It's okay." Clara's ministrations stopped, her rapid breathing eventually slowing down to normal.

The Doctor sighed and frowned deeply. It has been a month and a half since the events of Trenzalore. The Great Intelligence attempted to destroy the Doctor by using the Doctor's timestream to turn the Doctor's triumphs to defeats. But Clara, his Impossible Girl_, _bravely jumped into the Doctor's timestream to undo the Great Intelligence's damage.

The universe and the Doctor was saved because of this wonderful woman. _But at what cost? _the Doctor asked himself. Since that night Clara has been suffering constant flashbacks. Clara has denied them despite the Doctor's concerns. But the Doctor knows. He sees how Clara's eyes would suddenly become vacant, as if she was trying to rescue the Doctor from an unknown danger.

The first time this happened was a month after Trenzalore. Clara was recovering from a broken ankle from Trenzalore and she was staying in the TARDIS since. Clara's ankle slowly healed and the Doctor wanted to take Clara somewhere nice after resting in the TARDIS for so long. Instead the Doctor accidentally landed in colonial Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials. An innocent teenage girl was accused of witchcraft and was going to be drowned by the villagers. A villager saw Clara untying the girl's ropes. The girl was able to escape the village, but the Doctor and Clara were left with an angry mob on their tails. Twenty feet before reaching the parked TARDIS, Clara stood frozen with that same empty look, completely bliss of the rapidly approaching mob. The Doctor frantically tried to snap Clara out of her trance, but she was too far in her flashback. The Doctor had to carry Clara over his shoulder to the TARDIS.

_The Doctor seated Clara into a bench under the TARDIS console. _

"_Come on Clara! Come back to me." the Doctor shouted desperately while gripping Clara's arms. He leaned his forehead against Clara's, closing his eyes. "I can't lose you. Not again."_

_Half an hour later Clara's eyes blinked slowly. She saw the Doctor's forehead leaning against hers and tilted her head slightly._

"_Doctor?" Clara asked. "Did we get away from the mob?" The Doctor flicked his head up. Relief washed over the Doctor's face before he pulled a still dazed Clara into his arms. _

"_I thought you were never going to wake up." he whispered into her ear. He pulled away and placed a kiss to her forehead. _

The flashbacks continued as the days went on. What was worse besides the flashbacks were the nightmares like tonight. Clara has been plagued with nightmares of thousands of her echoes dying to protect the Doctor from the Great Intelligence. Clara forced herself to the fact that the flashbacks and the nightmares were getting to her.

"_It hurts_, _Doctor." Clara finally admitted to the Doctor one night. "These echoes...they'__re too much."_

"_Your mind is still trying to process all of those lives you've lived." the Doctor explained. _

"_You can't do anything about them?" Clara asked. The Doctor shook his head. _

"_I'm sorry. You're suffering because of me." the Doctor tilted his head downward. Clara gripped the Doctor's chin and raised his head to her gaze._

"_This is not your fault." Clara emphasized. "You were dying. I decided to jump into your timestream. Someone had to stop the Great Intelligence." _

"_But-"_

"_No buts, Doctor! It was my choice. I just have to wait for the echoes to die nightmares and flashbacks will stop eventually though, yeah?"_

_The Doctor nodded. "They will after a while. You know I will be here for always right? You can talk to me about anything."_

_Clara reached for the Doctor's hand and grasped it gently into her own. She gave the Doctor a small smile that reached her weary eyes and gently squeezed his hand. _

"_I know. Thank you, Doctor."_

The Doctor was snapped out of his thoughts when a groan escaped Clara's lips. She buried her head further into the Doctor's side comfortably and smiled gently in her sleep. Clara's arms wrapped around the Doctor's waist and she squeezed the Doctor like a teddy bear before loosening her grip. The Doctor chuckled before reaching for the bedcovers on the floor. He settled the covers over Clara's waist and his legs.

"Sleep well, my Clara." the Doctor whispered. He pressed a kiss into Clara's hair.


End file.
